I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to guard screens for rain gutters. More particularly, the present invention relates to a guard screen for a rain gutter having a first end with opposing flanges for gripping the front lip of a gutter and a second end for fitting between a roof board and the shingles of a roof.
II. Description of the Relevant Art
Guard screens for gutters are known and are directed to preventing leaves and similar debris from entering the open end of a gutter. When such a debris accumulates in a gutter, the passage of water therein is impeded.
Most known gutter screens are composed of a metal. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,297,285 issued on Jan. 10, 1967 to Simmons discloses a gutter screen attachment that includes a flat screen that is placed over the open end of the gutter. The screen is held to the gutter by a series of clips.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,183 issued on Feb. 18, 1969 to Bristow discloses a screen adapted for placement on the open end of a gutter. Fitted to the underside of the screen is a sinusoidal-like element that attaches to the underside of the gutter lip for holding the screen in place.
Disclosing another clip system is U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,383 issued on Dec. 28, 1971 to Reeves. The gutter screen assembly of this reference includes a flat metal screen for placement over a gutter and clips to hold the metal screen in place. The metal screen includes an edge having a series of holes defined therein. The clips of the assembly are placed through the holes for attachment to the lip of the gutter.
Another screen of the metal type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,761 issued on Jul. 19, 1977 and issued to Rankin. According to this patent, a metal screen is provided for placement over the open end of a gutter. The edge of the screen furthest away from the roof board is attached to the lip of the gutter by a U-shaped clip.
While having some advantages in that it is relatively inexpensive and is more or less flexible, metal screens have proven, for the most part, to be impractical. Because they are bendable and not resilient, they are easily damaged and quickly become unpleasant to look at. Furthermore, they are not easily attached to the gutter, and typically require metal clips or fasteners or a similarly complex system of attachment. Finally, metal screens are relatively difficult to produce.
In an effort to overcome the known disadvantages of metal screens, some plastic screens have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,356, issued on Nov. 19, 1985 to Pepper discloses a rainwater gutter system composed of plastic. According to this invention, a plastic extruded screen is provided for attachment to a plastic extruded gutter. The screen is fastened to the gutter by way of channels defined on the opposing sides of the open end of the gutter.
While the '356 patent to Pepper overcomes the problems of metal screens, the screen of the system has no utility independent of the system as a whole. While the system may be practical for fitting to a new house where there are no existing gutters, the Pepper system cannot be used to provide a screen over existing, non-extruded gutters.
In my previous U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,299 issued on Jul. 17, 1990, I disclosed a guard screen that was composed of a polymerized material. The guard screen of that invention included a channel for attachment to the lip of a gutter. However, according to this design, the guard was held in place by the screen being arched so as to provide a tension between the gutter lip and the roof.
Accordingly, the known methods for screening debris for existing gutters have generally failed to provide a system that is practical and convenient to install without the need for clips or tension to hold it in place.